Transit meeting focuses on center move-in

Sunday

Mar 24, 2013 at 6:00 AM

By Patrick StoutMcDonough County Voice

Much of the discussion at Friday's meeting of the McDonough County Public Transportation Committee focused on the recent movement of vehicles equipment, and staff to the new Macomb Transit Center on East Pierce Street.

"It was pretty seamless," Jude Kiah said of the transfer of Go West buses from Center Street to East Pierce.

The Go-West director said the 30 buses formed a parade, complete with police escort. Once the buses were docked, drivers and their families enjoyed a potluck lunch.

Kiah said bus mechanics now work staggered shifts rather than simply coming in an hour apart. He said the night shift is basically for routine, single-mechanic maintenance though a second mechanic can be called in if necessary.

Bob Fuhr said Bridgeway vans, drivers and mechanics are now located in the center. Stan Carlisle of the American Red Cross Chapter said those drivers and vans are now in the center as well.

Transit Director Gary Ziegler said van dispatchers moving into the center were assisted by Macomb/McDonough County Information Systems Director Jake Holmes, who set up their computer hardware and software.

Ziegler said the final construction completion document will not be signed until Illinois Department of Transportation representatives can do a final walk through the building.

Kiah announced that U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood will be the keynote speaker at the Macomb Transit Center's grand opening on Monday, April 1. Another special guest will be Illinois Transportation Secretary Ann Schneider.

MCPT has also invited U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk and U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Peoria, to send representatives to the local event. Public walkthroughs of the building will be conducted in the afternoon, according to Kiah, and special bus runs from 2 to 5 p.m. will be available to pick up any area residents interested in taking a tour.

McDonough County Board Chairman Scott Schwerer, an MCPT committee member, asked how many members have ridden on one of the buses or in one of the vans. He said he had not, and six more of the 11 members present said they had not either. Schwerer suggested that members of a public transportation board should take time to use the system.

Ziegler said the "demand response" point to point van service registered 24 new users in February. He said this increases the total client base to 4,148.

Ridership was down last month, Ziegler said, because of severe winter weather. Carlisle said some scheduled out-of-county trips for medical appointments had to be cancelled because of the bad weather.

An average of two out-of-county trips a day are scheduled in March. The vans made 27 trips in February: eight to Peoria, five apiece to Galesburg, Quincy, or Springfield, and one trip apiece to Carthage, Hamilton, Canton, and Iowa City.

Ziegler said a total of 3,605 van trips around the county were provided in February. He said there were about 172 rides given each day.

Go West bus service in Macomb served a cumulative 220,055 riders last month on the Western Illinois University campus and around the city. Ziegler said a cumulative average of 26,603 people rode the city routes, with an average daily ridership of 1,053. He said city route ridership is up by 5.8 percent from 2012. Bus service was cancelled one day in February because of a snowstorm.

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